The news
Toshiba is delaying its UK introduction of set-top HD DVD players for about six more weeks. The first player, the £449 HD-E1, is now due late December, rather than mid-November, and a more up-market companion, the £649 HD-XE1, should be coming some time in the early new year - not before Christmas as had been expected.
Both players are scheduled to be launched in Japan in late December but carrying different model numbers - HD-XF2 and HD-XA2.
Although the HD-E1 and HD-XE1 will be the first HD DVD players to hit Europe, they are actually second-generation models - the first-gen HD-XA1 player having been available for a good few months in Japan and the USA (see - March US launch for Toshiba HD DVD set-top players).
Hopefully, the wait will be worthwhile, though, because the newcomers are considerably slimmer than the HD-XA1 and are said to offer improved loading speed and response times.
The HD-E1 pictured at this
month's Stuff show, with the
chunkier and clunkier-looking two-tone
HD-XA1 first-gen player in the background (click for larger image)
chunkier and clunkier-looking two-tone
HD-XA1 first-gen player in the background (click for larger image)
HD-XE1 (click for larger image)
Both players can upscale standard-definition DVDs to 720p and 1080i resolutions - output via HDMI - and the HD-XE1 adds full 1080p HD upscaling.
The extra £200 for the HD-XE1 also buys a 297MHz/12bit video DAC that supports Deep Color technology - an option added to the HDMI standard in version 1.3 and reckoned by Toshiba to improve colour tones and achieves finer colour gradation on compatible TV sets.
The HD-XE1 also has gold plated sockets and some additional socketry - see the images above and specs contained within the UK press release on page two. And don't forget to check out the press release on page three about the Japanese launch.
Now we know the prices, the specs and, hopefully, when they'll be coming. What we don't know is your take, so share that with us in this thread in the HEXUS.lifestyle forum.
HEXUS.links
HEXUS.community :: discussion thread about this articleHEXUS.lifestyle.headline :: March US launch for Toshiba HD DVD set-top players
External.links
Toshiba UK - HD DVD home pageWikipedia - HDMI 1.3
